Jabari Stephan Brown, known online as “Captain Treezy” and famous for winning a MrBeast challenge that awarded a private plane as a prize, was detained in Paraguay during an investigation into a shipment of 261.6 kg of marijuana found on a business jet.
The case gained international attention after agents from Paraguay’s National Anti-Drug Secretariat, SENAD, intercepted a jet from the United States in a hangar near Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asunción. According to the agency, the aircraft had departed from Miami and made a stop in Panama before arriving in Paraguay.
According to SENAD, 261.6 kg of marijuana with a high THC content were seized. Paraguayan authorities estimated that the shipment could reach an approximate value of US$ 3.6 million on the illicit Brazilian market.
Brown, who was acting as co-pilot, was detained at a hotel in Asunción. He became known on social media after winning a competition organized by MrBeast, in which he received a business jet valued at millions of dollars. However, the aircraft linked to the case in Paraguay is reportedly not the same plane he won in the challenge.
Despite the initial detention, the young pilot was not included in the case. According to the Paraguayan newspaper ABC Color, Brown cooperated with the authorities and, at the end of the preliminary analysis, was not identified as a participant in the alleged scheme under investigation.
Three U.S. citizens were charged in the case: Marisol Rivas, Troy Anthony Vasquez and David Thomas Wise. They are being investigated for international trafficking and unauthorized possession of narcotic substances, according to Paraguayan media.
The situation is different for the main pilot named in the case, Estonian businessman Keith Siilats. According to the Associated Press, he was not found during the operation and reportedly left Paraguay hours before the police intervention.
Siilats, however, denies any involvement with the shipment. In statements published by Estonian media, he said he had no knowledge of the seized material and stated that he is willing to cooperate with Paraguayan investigators.
Paraguayan authorities are investigating whether the case is part of an international route involving private aircraft. SENAD reported that the operation took place under the Colibrí Program, an initiative that brings together different Paraguayan agencies to strengthen controls against international trafficking.
The story drew attention precisely because of its indirect link to MrBeast, one of the world’s biggest content creators. Even so, so far, the investigation indicates that Brown was released after providing information to the authorities, while the main focus of the case remains on the other suspects and on the origin of the seized shipment.
Source and images: SENAD Paraguay / @senad_paraguay. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
